Our
New Zealand holiday refreshed our spirits. Aotearoa
is a place of wild landscapes and perfect rural scenes, from the city of Dunedin
nestled in tree-clad hills by the sea, to cute hamlets, like Arrowtown, to snow
capped alpine peaks and lonely long beaches where we only met wildlife. The
South Island is a land where we really had a breath of fresh air.
We
cycled along the Otago Rail, tramped around Mt Aspiring through forested
valleys and spectacular mountain scenery. From Queenstown we drove past Lake
Hayes and Lake Wanaka before jet boating up the Waitoto River, visited the
majestic glacier at Fox and heli-hiked up Franz Josef and roamed the rugged
West Coast in the South Island, kayaked and walked the stunning coastline in
Able Tasman, watched seals in Kaikoura, and saw the devastation of the
earthquake in Christchurch.
Our
gourmet specialties included roast dinner at a mountain lodge, whitebait
fritters at in Port Jackson, venison at Haast, muscles in Westport, paua and
crayfish at Kaikoura. We enjoyed the fine wines of Wairau Valley. Our time in
the "Land Of The Long White Cloud" lingers on after our return home.
The bus picked us up early on Thursday 6 January 2011 on a cold Dunedin
morning. Outside the rain fell intermittently. Before Wanaka the inclement
weather worsened. We huddled al fresco at a restaurant before the final leg of
our journey, an hour’s drive north of Wanaka. The Matukituki River
had moved across its braided bed, trees were down from high winds and the river
was too high to cross. Our group of 38 keen trampers had to walk over the West Matukituki footbridge and a few kilometres in
driving rain. A helicopter brought in our food supplies.
Some clothing was slightly damp, but not our spirits. We settled into
our bunk rooms and changed into warm dry clothes. Generally, it was blokes on
the top bunk. I clambered up with my blue folded
sheets to make the bed. Everyone else had brought a sleeping bag. I could not
understand why the sheets would not fit the bed – they were so small. In fact,
they were not sheets but 2 round table cloths! Forlorn and embarrassed, I
enquired whether anyone had a spare sleeping bag. Our camp ‘Mum’, Jenny Scott
led me to a broom cupboard where there were left over sleeping bags. I took two
to snuggle up in the cool evenings.
On the first morning, Friday we set off just after 8 o’clock. It was
cold and wet with a strong wind. We had not envisaged such foul conditions.
Remarkably, within an hour the sun shone brightly and we peeled off the extra
clothing. We followed our leader, Don Cameron a sprightly 81 year old whose ice
axe combined as a walking stick, hoe and seat. We traversed the grassy flats
and over a suspension bridge and through the beech forest on the East Matukituki
Valley to Glacier Burn.
We wound along through dense, dark, old growth forests and dark woods.
Then down into the riverbed again before climbing back into the primeaval beech
forest. The gnarled trees with their twisted roots threatened to trip us every
step. The female hikers with their poles had difficulty with the undulating
terrain. At each rest stop we noticed the sandflies, They swarmed all over us
and bit our exposed, unprotected skin. After lunch we continued our hike up the
east branch to witness a magnificent ‘other worldliness’. Rainfall was plentiful and
the beech forest came with a sound track of birdsong and waterfalls. We were in awe
at the pristine scenic beauty of this wilderness area. Around us was a vast
amphitheatre and above the soaring cliffs and evergreen forest snowy peaks
dominated the skyline. What gave the place its particular enchantment were the
waterfalls. Down the many cracks and
fissures in the steep rocky slopes fell long, silver ribbons of water.
We returned to Tititea Lodge about 6.30pm where Jenny had organised a
marvellous dinner. Russell Lambeth ensured the amenities were spot on and even
provided suitable beverages. We all took turns to share the domestic chores eg;
cooking, cleaning, washing and wiping dishes, etc. Our leaders told us that
each day we had a choice of 3 different tramps.
At dinner I presented the table cloths to the lodge and gave Don a white
rock for being solid and reliable guide on the day’s tramp. The evening
camaraderie was most enjoyable and we retired to our bunk beds before dark. Generally,
it was blokes on the top bunk and ladies below. It was still light at 9.45pm!
On Saturday after a hearty breakfast of porridge and toast we hopped on
the trailer and were taken across the river by the tractor. From there we were
transported by van and 4 WD to Raspberry Flat car park. The tramp to Aspiring
Hut is mainly over green tussock meadows with mountains all around. We had to
negotiate a couple of small bluffs which provided great views up and down the
valley. After passing the old Cascade Hut we had to walk over a boggy marsh.
Until then my feet had remained dry. The dampness exacerbated blisters on both
my heels and Marcus Klein and I had a pleasant rest in the warmth of the bay
windows. We had a view of the mountain from the valley floor to the summit. It
was dense forest on the lower slopes, rock in the middle and snow on top. Across
the tussock flats of the meandering river was boxed in by the gorge-like walls
of the west Matukituki River valley.
In the distance at the top of the valley was Mt Bevan and towering above
all the mountains was the peak of Mt Aspiring. This was Kiwi magic, almost a
mystical surreal scene. Most of our fellow trampers climbed steadily on a well
graded track through mixed beech forest to the Cascade Saddle. Part of this
track followed a steep snowgrass and tussock ridge, with a few rocky outcrops
to negotiate. Ice
ages and huge tectonic upheavals had created beauty with a hard edge. Meantime
Simon, Helen and Katie continued on a bush track past Aspiring Hut to Pearl
Flat a meadow covered in short tussock grass. It was magnificent setting on a
picture perfect day. There wasn’t a cloud in the blue sky. The mountains and
scenery were superb. Simon and I took a refreshing dip in the cool waters of
the river.
Sunday was another superb bluebird day. Like other mornings we arose
early before 6.30am so that we were ready to hike before 8 o’clock. Again the tractor towed the trailer
with our group across the Matukituki
River to be then
transported to Raspberry Flat. It is a marvellous walking trail along the west
Matukituki valley. We walked along grassy river flats of the glacier-gouged valley, which are
hemmed by imposing mountains. And above the tree line, subalpine gardens of
tussock, lichens and dainty flowering herbs seemed to survive against all odds. We crossed the
swing bridge and the track climbed steeply through a small gorge up the Rob Roy
stream into a beech forest and then into alpine vegetation at the head of the
valley. We stopped for lunch overlooking a waterfall and above was the Rob Roy
glacier. Cheeky keas scurried about looking for scraps of food. Two Swiss
tourists were warned and with a quick flap of its wings one kea swooped and a plastic
bag with a plum were taken into the bush.
Whilst the others returned Simon and I clambered on up a scree stream
for 40 minutes. It was hot work. The temperature was about 32o and
the humidity a pleasant 29%. On our descent we gazed at the top of the
waterfall to watch 2 blokes base jump from the top. Wow, that was breath
taking! Further downhill our toes were squashed into the front of our footwear.
The big toe on my left foot was purple. The water in the ravine was appealing
but fast flowing. It was a sparkling clear aquamarine. The colour caused by minerals and
crushed rocks which the river brings down from the melting snow off the
glaciers. Again later that afternoon Simon and I couldn’t resist going for a
bracing swim below rapids in the Matukituki
River even though the
water temperature was only about 7o.
The
Mount Aspiring National Park is a walker's paradise and gave us a wonderful
mixture of remote wilderness, high mountains and beautiful river valleys.
